The Legend of Killer & Taker
by LG65
Summary: Set during the events of "The Akiyama Connection". Through the eyes of the secondary guitarist of Hokago Tea Time, she discovers an unfamiliar addition to "Death Devil" through a gangster from Kanemura Industries. T for suggestive themes.


The Legend of Killer & Taker

(キーラ&テイッカの伝説)

I've always wondered what the little district of Kamurocho is like. I have never gone on my own back in junior high. I wasn't sure why, but somehow, I believed that people were scared of going there, just because of yakuza and street gangs.

Now, I'm in Sakurako High School... And I am also part of an all-girl band, Hokago Tea Time. I play guitar, but I consider myself a novice guitarist. Yet... I was still able to learn a lot from my bassist friend, Mio Akiyama and eventually take these teachings to our lead guitarist, and one of my best friends, Yui Hirasawa.

Anyway, our band, led by our club president and drummer, Ritsu Tainaka, decided to do a show in Kamurocho. We just haven't decided where in Kamurocho we should play. We took so many places into consideration like the bowling alley place called "Mach Bowl", somewhere in the middle of Nakamichi Street, inside host clubs like "Stardust"… there were too many places to pick!

So, we decided to practice for a bit somewhere in a park. We did pretty well, but poor Yui kept missing on important chords and notes for our songs. She knows how to do this, but I do feel that she does need a bit of help, since she can't sing and play at the same time. In the end, we decided to take a break and walk around Kamurocho for a bit.

Mio also let us know that we're borrowing money to finance the concert. She went to a place called "Sky Finance". Now, I heard many stories about that place. Most of them describe "The Mysterious Moneylender". Unlike many moneylenders, he will lend money to people that many moneylenders wouldn't. Also, once the money is given to the person, he or she must follow certain 'conditions' attached to the loan. I heard that these 'conditions' are things like volunteering at hospitals and helping out at camps. I hope that if I lend money, I don't want to be dealing with him, unless Mio can trust him.

Yui went with Ritsu to go play at an arcade centre for a bit. Mio went to take care of that business with the moneylender from Sky Finance. Our keyboardist, Tsumugi Kotobuki, went off to get confectionery from her dad's place… wherever it is in Kamurocho. Me… I just wanted to explore a little and take some time off practice to think about the performance and my time here in Kamurocho.

But… I feel that… the longer I am wandering around these streets of Kamurocho; the more I started to worry about the rest of my friends. Mio is taking quite a long time with this moneylender. Likewise, I hope Yui and Ritsu did not fry their brains too much over the video games. I really hope nothing happened to Mugi that would make us all worry.

I tried to walk around the Hotel District to try to calm myself down a bit. As I walked by a huge building that had the neon lights which read "Yoshida Batting Centre", I can't help but think about Yui's sister, Ui and one of my good friends, Jun Suzuki. It was at an arcade centre, but not in Kamurocho… where Ui managed to hit a home run in a batting game. I was happy for her, especially since Yui and the rest of her friends were off to Kyoto on that day. Then, I had to feed my pet turtle, Ton. He's there to remind me that I will never be alone when Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Tsumugi graduate from Sakurako High.

I decided to walk in a convenience store called "M Store". I have to ask though… what kind of a store name is "M Store", anyway?

But, when I walked in… I was in shock to see so many good things to buy here. For example, I can buy and feed myself some Makunouchi Bento or a Club Sandwich. I could also buy and drink some Iemon Tea. I could even buy some magazines!

But… all I wanted to do was look at the magazines. Most of them were kinds for the young adult crowd, like the "Tokyo Week 1" magazine and the "Friday" magazine. There was a manga magazine for boys called "Young Magazine". But, what caught my eye is something that my band hasn't told me about yet…

I looked at the cover of "Young Guitar Magazine", a music magazine for the rock crowd. That might be the magazine I was looking for. Maybe it's got some stuff on how to take on harder guitar techniques, like the hammer-on. But, what I saw on the cover was much different. The cover read "Death Devil Exposed! The Fearsome Four's most intricate details revealed!"

Now… 'Death Devil' is a band that I've heard from somewhere, but the problem is… where?

I opened to the cover story and it gave information on four members of the band each with nicknames. They were Catharine, Middle Man, Grimm Reaper and this one called "Killer & Taker".

I kept reading the article for a bit. It noted who did what for the band. Grimm Reaper was the drummer and Middle Man was the bassist. But what interested me was that Catherine was the lead guitarist and vocalist and Killer & Taker was the second guitarist. I kept reading on, trying to figure out who were they in real life.

Then, I discovered a photo in the 'post-breakup' section of the article. I said out loud to myself in complete shock, "Catherine is… our teacher, Sawako Yamanaka!"

But, then, I heard the most chilling words behind me like snow inside a sewer. "You think that's a problem?"

I turned around and found myself looking at a man, wearing black pants and a red and white jacket, with the word 'Japan' in elegant handwriting at the back… but he has gold hair! In the article, "Killer & Taker" has black hair!

"Eeek!" I cried, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to snoop around!"

"It's OK. It's OK!" The guy cried, "Calm down!"

I didn't care as I kept squealing. People were starting to look at us, especially at me. "I just was looking at a magazine that sounded so interesting; I just had to take a read of it! I'm sorry!"

But, then… the guy petted me… and it calmed me down. I never let anyone, outside my band, pet me before. But, the way he did it, he just stroked by long pony tailed hair. It was enough to calm me down a little.

"I apologize for surprising you a little." the young man told me, "I had a lot of memories with that band. Say, why don't we go somewhere and talk more? If you want, I'll buy the copy for you."

"Oh, thank you!" I cried, excitedly

The man took the magazine and paid the cashier ¥790 for it. He then motioned for me to go with him.

* * *

He led me into an office, high above the Hotel District. Inside the office, I find the desk is properly organized, with bins under the desk. I have to say that the furniture is aligned nicely with two sofas facing each other, separated by a wooden table.

We both sat down across from each other. We both stared at each other for a bit. I wanted to know what his involvement in 'Death Devil' is. He then laid down the magazine he bought for me.

Finally, I asked him, "What's your name?"

He then politely answered, "My name is Takeshi Kido. I'm an officer of the Tojo Clan's Shibata Family's Kanemura Industries."

"What's yours?" Kido asked me

"My name is Azusa Nakano." I answered, timidly but politely, "I'm part of an all-girl band called 'Hokago Tea Time'."

"Ah, nice to meet you." Kido replied and shook hands with me. I thought that most yakuza in Kamurocho are scary, but Kido, I believe, is friendlier than I thought.

I then asked him, "You said to me that you had fond memories of 'Death Devil'. Tell me, Kido-san. How did the band come together?"

"Gee... Where do I start?" Kido said, nervously

Then, he calmly took a deep breath. Then, he spoke. "Our band, Death Devil, was formed in 2005. It was made up of alumni of light music clubs in Tokyo's high schools. I was a member of a light music club at Uchida High. I honestly don't remember where the other three came from."

"It's OK." I said to Kido, although I have to wonder if Sawa-chan was part of our light music club from her days as a student at Sakurako High.

"Anyway, all four of us were into heavy metal and I feel that we have sort of connection with each other." Kido continued, "As a result, we all went silly with our personal image and changed our looks."

"I get it." I replied, "That's why your hair was black in some spots now."

"Yeah…" Kido tells me, "I miss that hairstyle."

We both sat in silence for a minute. Then, Kido continued talking to me about 'Death Devil'. "The four of us toured around Japan for a bit, performing in strip clubs, host clubs, everywhere! Catharine provided a little hot entertainment in the strip clubs when she sees a stripper pole nearby. She would even pole dance and sing! Sometimes, though…" Kido gave a bit of a chuckle. "…she would fall and get a nosebleed."

I laughed and thought, 'Wow… No wonder Sawa-chan is popular with guys! Mio-senpai would definitely creep out when she hears this!'

"Unfortunately, it would not last." Kido continued,

"Why?" I asked, "What's wrong, Kido-san?"

"Our band was discovered by a record label and they wanted to sign us. Middle Man loved the option. But… Catherine and everyone else… they did not want anything to do with that." Kido continued, "We decided to reject the contract that the label offered us. Middle Man got upset at us. But… one day, we discovered that he was high on drugs and he had a lot of pornography in his bass case. We eventually threw him out of the band."

"Ah…" I said, "I see."

"We tried to find a new recruit for the vacant bass position… but we came up empty. Someone was later expelled from the band. A good friend of Catherine's took his place among the band." Kido said, "The band continued without this person's presence… and eventually broke up. I heard that Grimm Reaper is becoming a well-known tattoo artist. And I heard that Catherine became a teacher somewhere."

"And… what happened to 'Killer & Taker'?" I asked politely,

Kido remained silent. He looked at me as if I had no clue what I was asking. Maybe that was a dumb question I asked… But, he surprised me when he said four words.

"You're looking at him."

I gasped in surprise. I was looking at the former second guitarist of "Death Devil"! I was asking myself, 'This yakuza gangster… is a former guitarist?'

Kido sighed. "I miss those days. But… I miss Catherine the most. The way we shred our guitars… It's like… we both had a connection. I wanted to ask her out whenever I got the chance, but… I was way too shy and I can never see myself with her. I managed to attend their shows to show how much I care for Catherine. But… she didn't take notice of me."

"Hmm…" I began, "How about this? I can help you win her heart."

"Really?" Kido asked, "You can do that?"

"Oh yes." I said, "But this favour doesn't come free."

"Huh?" Kido cried, somewhat surprised, "What do you mean?"

"Our band is playing somewhere in Kamurocho tonight." I said, "Please teach me your techniques. In exchange, I will help you win Catharine's heart."

Kido gave it some thought. I can tell that this is for our teacher's sake. She definitely needed someone to hang around. Finally… he told me, "Deal."

He then went to a back room and took out his old electric guitar. It was just like Yui's model, only it was more golden and modern. "You have your guitar with you?" Kido asked,

"I do." I said and took off my backpack that contained my guitar, which is a Fender Mustang model. I took out the actual guitar.

"Heh." Kido said when he saw my guitar, "You have a red guitar. I really like its design."

"Thank you." I giggled,

Then, Kido showed me how to do a hammer-on, a pull-off, string skipping and tapping.

After a few hours, I finally got the hang of the new techniques. "Good." Kido told me, "Now make sure you keep your right hand at the base of the guitar while you do those hammer-ons."

"OK." the young black, long-ponytailed schoolgirl replied,

Then, we heard the door open. Kido looked at his visitor. "Ah. Akiyama-san." He said, noticing a short, gelled black-haired man with a purple-red suit with black pants, with a cigarette in his mouth.

Kido stood up and bowed, "Good evening."

"Did I come at a bad time?" Akiyama asked, "I can come back later."

"No, it's OK." Kido tells him, "Come in. Have a seat."

Akiyama walked in and sat down. Someone followed him inside. I immediately knew who it was when I saw the familiar long black hair. "Mio-senpai!" The schoolgirl cried,

"Oh, Azusa." Mio replied as I ran to hug her.

"Ah... So, you must be Miss Azusa Nakano." The older Akiyama said as he stood up and bowed, "My name is Shun Akiyama. I'm a moneylender at Sky Finance."

I thought, 'This is the moneylender that Mio is seeing? He's… such a good-looking guy!'

"I came by hearing some guitar strumming..." The older Akiyama said, "Are you teaching her, Kido-chan?"

Kido chuckled and replied, "You caught me, Akiyama-san. Before I was taken in by my boss, I used to be a guitarist for a death metal band."

"Oh?" Shun asked, "Which one?"

"Oh... Death Devil." Kido answered,

Mio and I gasped. "So... You know our teacher, Kido-san?" I cried, not realizing what I just said,

"Our teacher is Sawako Yamanaka." Mio said, "In that band, she goes by the name 'Catharine'."

"Catharine?" Kido said, unsure of what the girls meant. I frowned at him because he knows what Mio meant. Then, he cried out, "Oh! Catharine? Oh yeah, she was definitely a good singer. I remember on some nights when we used to go to the strip club, Asia... And Catharine would go wild on the stripper pole. I was playing my guitar as if I was a young rocker at heart."

Mio groaned in embarrassment at the thought of her teacher, dancing like a stripper. I just giggled. "At one point," Kido continued, "Catharine accidentally hit her head on the pole, which made her nose bleed, badly... Amazingly, she kept on dancing and singing!"

Mio yelped and cried out, "Ew! Ew! Ew!" I giggled again and hugged Mio.

Both Shun and Kido chuckled at Mio, who is cowering, shuddering and covering her ears. I giggled as I kept hugging Mio.

"I'm surprised that singer became a teacher now." Kido admitted, and turned to both Mio and me "I would give anything to play again for the sake of her."

Mio and I smiled at Kido at his words. Then, Kido turned to Shun. "Anyway, what brings you here, Akiyama-san?" he asked,

"Well..." Shun began, "Mio-chan and I came to find and pick up Azu-chan. Also, have you seen Arai?"

"Well..." Kido said, "Arai is going around Kamurocho, making sure there's peace on the streets."

"Ah. I see." Shun said,

I picked Mio up, after recovering from her cowering. "Are you OK, Azusa?" Mio asked,

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied,

"I'm glad you are OK." Mio said,

"Kido-san taught me a lot, Mio-senpai." I said with excitement, "Maybe I can help Yui-senpai a lot for tonight's performance."

"That's awesome." Mio congratulated,

"Hmm..." Kido said to Shun after Shun told his story on my band Hokago Tea Time, "I see."

Kido sighed and patted me on the head. "Well... For the sake of her band, you can have her back. I will cherish those memories I will have with her."

I said as she picked up her guitar, "Thank you the lessons, Kido-san! I'll never forget this!"

"You're welcome, Nakano-san." Kido replied,

"Well..." Shun then said, "I guess we'll be on our way. Take care." Then, he, Mio and I walked out of the door.

"Wait, Akiyama-san!" Kido called,

"Hm?" Shun said as he turned to Kido,

"If you need help from me," Kido said, "Give me a call, OK?"

"I'll make sure I will." Shun replied, then said, "Take care." And he shut the door.

* * *

A few days later, I came by Kanemura Industries to see Kido. There he was sitting down, smoking on a cigarette. "Good afternoon, Kido-san!" I said,

He stood up and said, "Welcome, Nakano-san." He then bowed.

"Thank you again for the guitar techniques for the concert the other night." I said, "Kamurocho was really bright and I'm glad you came to take Yui-senpai's place."

"Oh, it's no problem." Kido replied, "Thank you for considering me. I really had a fun time with you girls."

"You're welcome, Kido-san." I replied, "As per our deal, I have decided to help you win Sawa-chan's heart."

"Didn't I do that the other night?" Kido asked,

"That's just one step, Kido-san." I replied, "You are still 'just friends' with Sawa-chan."

"I don't understand…" Kido replied,

"Here." I said, "I'll show you how it works." Then, I explained to him the whole dating process, from friendship to a relationship. I showed him some of the best techniques on how to achieve a good date. I also let him know the best places to have dinner with Sawa-chan. I also taught him proper etiquette when around women.

After a few hours, Kido told me, "Nakano-san… I'm nervous."

"It's OK, Kido-san." I told him, "It happens to everyone. All you can do is try not to embarrass yourself. Do you have a suit ready?"

"Oh! Yes!" He ran to the back room and found a white suit. I looked at his face sternly. He seemed attached to his suit.

"That is a nice suit." I commented, "I think Sawa-chan will be very happy at how you're dressed."

"Is my hair OK?" Kido asked

I looked closely. "It's fine." I answered sincerely, "Don't you ever change it!"

"OK, Nakano-san." Kido laughed, "I understand."

A few minutes later, he came out with the suit. "What do you think?" He asked, "Does it fit me?"

"Oh yes!" I answered, "You'll stand out nicely to Sawa-chan's eyes!"

"OK! Wish me luck!" Kido cried,

"Good luck!" I cried as Kido left. I followed him out as well. I had a good feeling that, even though he had a hard time with Sawa-chan's band, I feel that they are more than compatible with each other. I decided to join the rest of the girls on our walk around Kamurocho… a place full of wonder and joy, despite the danger that presents itself.

THE END


End file.
